1. Field of Industrial Utility
The present invention relates to a pulse oximeter with which the oxygen saturation of the arterial blood of a subject can be measured continuously in a non-invasive manner using the difference in absorption characteristics between red light and infrared light at two different wavelengths. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pulse oximeter that is adapted for effective rejection of the noise component due to body movements.
2. Prior Art
Pulse oximeters have conventionally been used to measure the oxygen saturation of arterial blood continuously in a bloodless manner. To use the pulse oximeter, the probe is attached to the tip of a subject's finger or the earlobe and both red and infrared light having different wavelengths are applied to the living body from the probe at given time intervals, and the oxygen saturation S is calculated from the ratio between the pulsating components of light absorbance, .PHI., as obtained from the transmitted or reflected light rays of different wavelengths. In a typical case, the red light has a reference wavelength of 660 nm and the infrared light has a wavelength of 940 nm; two light-emitting diodes for issuing these wavelengths and one photodiode for light reception are contained in the probe.
If the pulsating component of light absorbance at the wavelength of red light is written as .DELTA.A1 and the pulsating component of light absorbance for the wavelength of infrared light as .DELTA.A2, the absorbance ratio between the two different wavelengths .PHI. is given by: EQU .PHI.=.DELTA.A1/.DELTA.A2
The oxygen saturation S can be computed as a function f of this absorbance ratio .PHI.: EQU S=f(.PHI.)
The pulse oximeter operating by the principle described above has one serious problem; if the subject under pulse oximetry moves the finger to which the probe is attached, the volume of blood fluctuates and the measured value of absorbance ratio .PHI. fluctuates so greatly as to make it impossible to achieve the correct measurement of oxygen saturation S.
Under the circumstances, various attempts have heretofore been made to eliminate the effect of such noise due to body movements. For example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 160446/1974 teaches a pulse oximeter that performs processing with the limit of measurement specified in such a way that if noise occurs due to a body movement, entry of measurement data into an averaging routine is prohibited to insure that the noise will not be contained in the oxygen saturation to be computed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,290 describes a pulse oximeter that performs weighted averaging on measured values so that if the measured values fluctuate on account of body movements, less weighing is applied, thereby insuring that the oxygen saturation is computed without the effect of noise. PCT Patent Publication No. 500843/1987 teaches a pulse oximeter that performs measurements in synchronism with a cardiogram so that if noise occurs due to a body movement that is not pulsation, its entry as measurement data is prevented to insure that the oxygen saturation will not be computed erroneously.
The above-described prior art oximeters have their own problems. The first type which performs processing with the limit of measurement specified and the third type which performs processing in synchronism with a cardiogram have the problem that consistent measurements cannot be continued if there occurs noise due to body movements. The second type which performs averaging on measured values has the disadvantage of sacrificing the response characteristics.